Junk For Christmas/Solstice 2008

Well the Winter Solstice has passed us by but not without leaving all of us with a memorable night with good food, great friends, and plenty of fun. After my family and I completed our breakfast we gathered in the front room and exchanged gifts with each other. All the gifts we exchanged were either found objects or had been hand made from reconstituted materials by the person gifting.

Let's start with the little ones.


My daughter made me a wonderful Solstice tree ornament she made using pipe cleaners found in a box of discarded craft supplies, and previously discarded xmas bulbs.

She gifted to her mother a necklace and bracelet made from polymer beads she fashioned herself, with a little help from dad.

What a great kid.

My partner used her crafty talents to make our daughter a super cool needle book, as the girl is learning to sew. And it happens to be her favorite colors too.

The boy received a handmade stuffy constructed from corduroy scraps from past projects. Got to love the texture of cord.

To my son I gifted a series of story books, some toy cars, and a box of blocks all found during a trip to the dump. The bucket and shovel were found in the bin behind a local craft store.

For my daughter I created a treasure chest from materials scavenged from the local dump. The pine boards were off a discarded IKEA bed frame. The roll top was a door from an old appliance garage. The handles were of an old chest of drawers and the hinge from a entertainment unit.

I filled the chest with about 30Lbs of Lego and a good sized bag of Connects which I had procured from a bin at the dump. Time for a Lego creation I think.

To my partner I gifted a quilt rack which I built out of the base from a stand up mirror and some wood from the trash.

I also gave her a CD alarm clock found behind a local business with the cord end still in the bag. It must have been a display model. I made a morning mix CD for her with a collection of some of her favorite songs.

It was a great exchange and we all felt very fortunate for all we had received. More importantly we all felt very proud of ourselves for creating these well thought out gifts. I hope all had a great Solstice and have a great Christmas.